A political dispute over the use of Central Finance Commission funds has intensified in Muvattupuzha Municipality, with the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), the CPM and the BJP trading allegations after clashes and police cases linked to the approval of civic projects. The dispute centres on plans involving around ₹9 crore allocated for the town’s development.
Municipal chairperson Joyce Mary Antony said the opposition was obstructing projects approved by the municipal council by raising objections before the District Planning Committee. At a press conference, she described the move as harmful to the public and warned that the city could lose the entire ₹9 crore development allocation if the projects were held up. She said the fund-use decisions had been taken in accordance with government guidelines and stated priorities.
Antony also rejected allegations that funds had not been allotted to opposition wards. According to her, the campaign claiming discrimination in fund allocation was baseless. The chairperson’s comments came against the backdrop of a confrontation over the use of Central Finance Commission funds and the subsequent exchange of complaints and allegations by rival political groups.
UDF chairman K.M. Salim alleged that opposition representatives had attempted to blockade the chairperson’s room on October 28. He said the incident involved attempts to mentally harass and assault women representatives. The press conference was also attended by UDF convener K.M. Abdul Majeed, District Congress Committee general secretary P.P. Eldose, vice-chairperson P.M. Abdul Salam and other UDF representatives, including standing committee chairpersons.
The CPM area committee rejected the UDF’s account and described the ruling council’s claims as fraudulent. In a statement, the party alleged that the chairperson and UDF leaders had filed false complaints against opposition councillors after public criticism intensified. The CPM said the opposition’s protest was against the alleged non-allocation of funds to wards represented by opposition councillors.
The CPM also alleged that the ruling side was attempting to divert attention from what it called financial irregularities connected to the Thriveni Onam celebrations and discrimination in the distribution of funds sanctioned by the Central Government. These claims were presented by the party as part of its criticism of the municipal administration and were not independently established in the report.
BJP leaders separately accused the chairperson of using a victimhood narrative to conceal alleged financial irregularities related to the Thriveni Onam celebrations and unequal distribution of central funds. Their press conference was attended by Muvattupuzha constituency president T. Chandran, P.U. Gopalakrishnan and councillors G. Manoj and Rajashree Raju.
The dispute now places the District Planning Committee’s consideration of the municipal projects at the centre of the conflict. The competing statements do not establish whether the projects will be approved, delayed or rejected, or whether any portion of the ₹9 crore allocation has already been released. The immediate administrative outcome will depend on the committee’s decision and the municipality’s further action on the objections.
